The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-23
KEELY'S EXPERIMENTS.
The Inventor Astonishes Visitors-He d.
clares that He Is Master of the Situation.


Philadelphia Press.
81 am master OF the situation. There gre no
further obstacles to be overcome" inventor John
W. Keely proudly told small party OF aston
shed spectators who. yesterday morning, wit
messed an exhibition of results accomplished by
what he calls his etheric force. Those who con-
voutly wished for by the stockholders. were
Drs. George Strawbridge and ID. +. Woods.
Samuel r. Linvie. the el-known engineer and
electrician, Charles B. Collier, Mr.. keey 8
private counsel, and three newspaper men.
The exhibition, which was pronounced the
most successful ever given by the inventor, was
held mostly in the second story Of the workshop
at No 1922 North Twentieth street, now trans
formed from it's former dingy estate into a most
comfortable and attractive series of mall rooms
The peculiar interest attaching to it was that In
all the tests except that of firing off the cannon
the mysterious power was transmitted from the
liberator and receiver to the scene of its mani
festation through wire of silver and platinum
instead of through hollow tube, as heretofore
The accomplishment of this feat the friends of
the inventor consider the most conclusive answer
to the oft-repeated charge that compressed air is
the motive power used by the inventor. Mr..
Kelley used liberator more indescribaole,
though smaller, than any that have preceded It,
and made of bewildering sets of resonators ar
ranged in octaves. Essential portions of 1t ap-
to be bellows worked by foot, and machine
made to revolve by air forced from the bellows
which the inventor called a SIREN"
After the liberator had been attuned and al
the parts brought into a sympathetic vibration.
the familiar test was performed of raising the
long arm of a lever weighted with o5O-pound
weight, making the pressure exerted equal to
about $4,000 pounds to the square inch. Mr.
Keely said that if he wished he could generate
in two seconds pressure of 10000 pounds to
the square inch. The little cannon which has for
years kept up RENTING bombardment of an
iron target in the rear of the workshop was next
brought into requistion. It has been gilded
since former exhibitions, to be in keeping with
its improved surroundings, and at first appeared
somewhat rusty from dsuse. It was quickly
brought into shape however, and sent three bull
lets with all its old-time energy against the tar
get. f1attening them out like pancakes
When asked why there was no recol after q
powerful discharge, the cannon standing abso-
lutely motionless Mr.. Keely explained that the
positive and negative vibrations neutralized
each other and kept the piece stationary He
could fire 2Oton gun, he said, without recoil.
In the experiments which followed the in-
ventor declared his purpose to be to find the in
dvdual sympathetic chord of several of those
present. This he accomplished with the liberia
tor. to which was attached silver and platinum
wire, ending in q stout piece of steel held by the
person undergoing examination. Mr.. Linvilles
chord was declared to be A natural in the third
octave. 100000 negative below Nobody I'M
derstood what this meant, but Mr.. Keely wrote
it down on a piece of paper, and then ascer-
tanned the chords of DR.. StrawbridRe. Mr. Col
lier and Mr.. Harding of the New York Herald.
The two former gentlemen were found to be
natural and b fiat, respectively. in the fifth &C.
tave, while Mr.. Coli was pleased to hear that
he was G sharp in the sixth octave.
This was all very mysterious, but paled its in
effectual fires before the experiments which fol-
lowed, and which were quite incomprehensible
and equally indescribable An iron ring. to
which was fastened copper tube in which Mr.
Keely said there was an etheric pressure of two
thousand pounds to the square inch. was placed
on the floor, and inside of this stood in success
sion the gentlemen whose sympathetic chords
had been ascertained. In one corner of the room
was placed a small copper sphere, completely
isolated by having thick plates of glass placed
beneath it and around it. Running nearly up to
it iron rod. connected by wire with a
piece of steel, which the gentlemen hold in their
hands. Going into adjoining room, Mr..
Keelv set the iioerator in activity, played softly
upon a harmonica, and the globe began to re-
vove. "Home. Sweet Home" with variations.
seemed to have a particularly exhilarating and
enivening effect upon the little sphere which
fairly buzzed as the inventor drew his lips
melody.
This experiment was repeated successfully
with an engine twenty seven inches in diameter,
and then with both the engine and sphere stimuli
taneously. AS the volume of sound from the
harmonica increased or decreased the two would
revolve together one would stop and let the
other continue its merry journey. With this
curious performance the exhibition closed.
Mr. Keely received CONGRATULATIONS upon its
success modestly, and said that within a few
days he would start up his engine for a ten
days run without intermission. It has already
run for thirty hours smoothly and at uni
form speed. Mr.. Keely also said that he was at
work upon telephone, of which he expected
rosu